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In blowfly salivary glands, breakdown of phosphatidylinositol has been linked to the activation of hormone-sensitive Ca2+ channels. Addition of 5-hydroxytryptamine to blowfly salivary glands stimulated the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol prelabeled with 32P or [3H]arachidonic acid. This was associated with a transient accumulation of [3H]arachidonic-labeled diglyceride. There was no appreciable effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine on breakdown of phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylcholine labeled with 32P or [3H]arachidonic acid, indicating that phosphatidylinositol was the immediate source of diglyceride. Extracellular Ca2+ was necessary for [3H]arachidonic acid but not 32P loss from phosphatidylinositol. Addition of arachidonic acid to salivary glands did not stimulate salivary gland secretion or 45Ca flux. In contrast, 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulated both salivary gland secretion and 45Ca flux. These results indicate that, although [3H]arachidonic acid is incorporated into phosphatidylinositol and its release from this phospholipid is increased by 5-hydroxytryptamine, the liberated arachidonic acid does not stimulate salivary gland secretion or 45Ca flux.

In blowfly salivary glands, 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulated a rapid and sustained loss of [3H]inositol, [32P]phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. There was a corresponding increase in labeled inositol phosphates. In the absence of Ca2+, 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulated a rapid but transient loss of labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. By 5 min, the amount of labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate recovered to control values. The divalent ionophore A23187 stimulated loss of labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and increased the amount of labeled phosphatidylinositol. In homogenates, Ca2+ stimulated phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate breakdown but not phosphatidylinositol breakdown. These results suggest that hormone-stimulated breakdown of labeled phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate occurs through a phospholipase C and is relatively independent of extracellular Ca2+. There is also a Ca2+-activated conversion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to phosphatidylinositol.